DEFENCE

Regional Prime Contract South West

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence has undertaken to make significant improvements to the defence estate through a restructuring of the service and construction delivery mechanisms. Regional prime contracting is a key element of that policy for which the South West region represents the second of five regional contracts. The initiative aims to provide a better quality of service and greater value for money through a suitably incentivised contract awarded on Smart Procurement principles that encourages innovation and efficiency.
	I am pleased to tell the House that the assessment phase is now complete. Revised bids have been received from three consortia and the bids have been evaluated against detailed criteria. The preferred bidder has been identified as Debut Services Ltd, a consortium of Bovis Lend Lease and Babcock Services Group International.
	The South West regional prime contract will provide for capital works, property maintenance and facilities management services throughout the MOD's estate in South West England over the next seven years. The value of this contract is likely to be in excess of £500 million. It is expected that contract award will take place in spring next year.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis

Ben Bradshaw: The Independent Scientific Group on cattle TB (ISG) was appointed by Ministers in 1998 to design and oversee a large-scale field trial, the randomised badger culling trial (RBCT), aimed at evaluating badger culling as a means to reduce the incidence of cattle TB. The trial involves three experimental treatments: (i) proactive culling, which aims to reduce badger densities to very low levels across entire trial areas, (ii) reactive culling, which seeks to remove only those badgers geographically close to recent cattle TB outbreaks on particular premises, and (iii) no culling (survey only).
	The culling of badgers in reactive treatment areas of the RBCT will be suspended from today. The decision to suspend the culling of badgers in these areas has been taken on the basis of recent scientific findings from the ISG.
	The ISG has advised Ministers that its interim analysis of trial data so far indicates that there was a 27 per cent. increase in the number of cases of bovine TB (breakdowns) occurring in reactive culling areas compared to the related survey only areas where no badger culling took place.
	I have decided to suspend operations immediately because of the risk that a further three months of culling would cause additional TB breakdowns.
	The results that have now emerged from the reactive culling part of the trial will be published as soon as possible in a peer reviewed scientific journal. Data on herd breakdowns from the reactive trial areas will continue to be collected and subjected to further analysis with the more detailed results being submitted for publication in a peer reviewed journal at a later date.
	On the advice of the ISG, operations will continue in proactive areas because the data for these areas do not yet yield a statistically significant result. The survey-only (control) areas will also continue to be monitored.
	The Government's policy on bovine TB is based on scientific advice and these findings will be taken into account in the development of the forthcoming TB strategy.

TREASURY

Double Taxation Convention (United Kingdom and New Zealand)

Dawn Primarolo: A protocol to the double taxation convention with New Zealand was signed on 4 November 2003. After signature, the text of the protocol was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses and made available on the Inland Revenue's website. The text of the Protocol will be scheduled to a draft Order in Council and laid before the House of Commons in due course.

Financial Services and Markets Act 2000

Ruth Kelly: I am today announcing the scope of the two-year review of the Financial Services and Markets Act, details of which are set out in a paper which is available in the Vote Office and the Library of the House.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bermuda

Bill Rammell: Pursuant to my written statement of 3 March 2003, Official Report, column WS72, the Governor of Bermuda has, on 2 November 2003, initiated a public debate in Bermuda on this subject, by publicising and distributing widely a consultation document seeking comments from political parties, organisations and interested individuals by 31 December 2003. Copies of this document have been placed in the Library of the House.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Extradition Bill

Caroline Flint: The Government are today publishing a report containing their response to the consultation on the draft extradition code of practice.
	The draft code of practice, which sets out the operation of police powers under Part 4 of the Extradition Bill, was published on 9 June 2003. The consultation closed on 8 September.
	We are grateful to all those who took the time and trouble to respond to the consultation. The responses (other than those where the author requested that the response remain confidential) were placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament and made available on the Home Office website on 30 September.
	The report contains a summary and analysis of the comments received and sets out the Government's position in response to the main issues raised by respondents. Copies of the report are available in the Libraries of both Houses and can be accessed through the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crimpol/oic/extradition/bill/documents.html
	Assuming that the Extradition Bill receives Royal Assent, the code of practice will be revised in the light of the comments received and laid before Parliament for approval by a resolution of each House.

National Policing Plan 2004–07

Hazel Blears: I have today placed in the Libraries of both Houses copies of the National Policing Plan 2004–07 and the consultation paper "Policing: Building Safer Communities Together".
	The national policing plan sets the framework and context for policing in England and Wales for the next three years. It sets out the vision for successful policing, the key priorities, underpinning themes, national standards and the operational tools to deliver the service wanted and demanded by the public. The national policing plan will inform local planning and help to ensure that all communities know what they should expect from their local police force.
	The plan is central to our determination to ensure the police are able to work within a modern and efficient criminal justice system and to be engaged with the communities they serve. That is why we have published it jointly with our consultation paper "Policing: Building Safer Communities Together".
	The consultation paper sets out our broad thoughts on the future direction of police reform. We want to build on the successes of the existing reform programme in moving towards a modernised, truly representative, more responsive police service delivering, consistently, core national standards of policing that the public has a right to expect, within a framework which allows for local flexibilities. We want a genuine dialogue on the issues contained in the paper which are grouped under four main themes—increasing community engagement, strengthening accountability arrangements, improving operational effectiveness and modernising the police service.
	Both documents are available on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/